Liverpool City Council Plans New Approach to Homeless Housing

Liverpool City Council is set to agree a new approach to tackling homelessness that could allow some households living in temporary accommodation to remain in their homes permanently.

The proposal will be discussed at a Cabinet meeting on Tuesday, 17 March, where councillors are expected to consider awarding five new contracts for temporary accommodation and permanent homes across the city.

New contracts aim to provide stable housing for families

If approved, the agreements will give the council access to around 1,500 units of affordable and suitable temporary accommodation sourced from the private rented sector. 

As part of the contracts, suppliers will also commit to providing a percentage of permanent homes during the lifetime of the agreements.

Under the new model, households placed in temporary accommodation may be able to remain in the same property as a permanent home, depending on their circumstances and the availability of housing from the supplier.

The approach is intended to reduce disruption for families experiencing homelessness, particularly those who have already begun to settle into temporary accommodation.

Currently, around 1,600 households are living in interim or temporary accommodation across Liverpool.

The council has been increasing the number of self-contained accommodation units in the city in an effort to reduce reliance on hotels. 

There are now 1,330 self-contained units available, while the average nightly rate has dropped to around £57, down from £83 previously.

Council aims to reduce hotel use and increase housing supply

As a result of these changes, the number of households staying in hotel accommodation has fallen significantly, with the figure now standing at 277 rooms.

The council has set a target to ensure families spend no more than six weeks in hotel accommodation before moving into more suitable housing.

This marks a notable improvement compared with around a year ago, when 83 households were staying in bed and breakfast accommodation for longer than six weeks.

The delivery of 1,500 units of interim, temporary and permanent accommodation over the next 18 months is expected to significantly reduce demand for “spot purchased” nightly accommodation, which is often used in emergency situations.

Additional measures are also being introduced to help address homelessness across the city. 

These include creating an on-site support service for up to 49 single households who require low to medium levels of support.

The council has also made £7.3 million in grants available to private sector landlords to encourage them to bring 365 empty properties back into use, which will then be offered to people on the housing waiting list.

Councillor Hetty Wood, Cabinet Member for Housing at Liverpool City Council, said:

“A home is a basic human right, and we know how disruptive it is for individuals and families to move from place to place in a relatively short space of time, particularly if they have children in school.

“The new contracts will give people the opportunity to make the temporary accommodation their permanent home, in circumstances where that is suitable.

“It is just one of a range of measures we are introducing to tackle homelessness, including making sure we have enough units of accommodation, drastically reducing our reliance on hotel accommodation and bringing empty homes back into use for people who are on the housing waiting list.

“We have also negotiated reductions with landlords in the rates paid, to make sure that council taxpayers get value-for-money.

“We are also working with Government agencies, Liverpool City Region Combined Authority and social landlords to deliver affordable rent and rent-to-buy properties.”